Large Antique Handmade Old Silver Yemeni Pendant With Maker Stamp Ethnic Beads

Description

Description
This listing is for a very large Yemeni Hirz, a Pendant or Amulet, typically used to carry prayers and religious scripts. Used in necklaces, the two looks at the top would be attached to the main necklace, while the three loops at the bottom would be used to attach dangles, bells, and assorted amulets.
The pendant is 80x24mm and weighs 32g.
It is dated to the early to mid 1900s.
The hirz is old andhas a dent at the bottom, between the end and the middle loop used for dangles. The dent is not particularly visible where it is when the pendant is worn as intendedn, but it can be clearly seen in one of the photos specifically indented to show it. The price already accounts for this dent.
Yemenite jewelry making goes back to the biblical Queen of Sheba and her gifts of jewelry to King Solomon. Later Islamic rule in Yemen imposed a prohibition of jewelry making on the Muslim population, and the art of Yemenite silversmithing became exclusively the domain of the Jewish community of Yemen, and it is to tis community we owe the exquisite pieces of silver jewelry from Yemen. This art was passed from generation to generation. Today, however, the art of Yemenite silversmithing is in decline. Only just a handful of Jewish silversmiths remain in Yemen. Most of the Jewish families are now in Israel, but fewer and fewer of the young generation engage in the age-old tradition, and the beautiful objects of this trade become more and more a piece of history.
Weights and sizes are approximate.
IMPORTANT NOTE. In the world of beads, and especially ancient and antique beads, errors in identification are common. We do our best to research and classify our beads accurately, however mistakes are certainly possible. If you are a bead expert and notice any errors in description, we invite you to please contact us and let us know. We are always grateful for any new information. We also accept returns no questions asked. See our Return Policy for detail.
COLORS: Our photos are taken in different lighting in an attempt to show how beads look in different lighting conditions. We make every effort to show colors as accurately as possible. The white background photos are taken in daylight conditions. The black background photos are taken in the strong lab light, and would be representative of what they would look like in the evening electric light. Some of the photos are backlit to emphasize their translucency. Note that monitor settings strongly affect the way the colors look. What you see on your monitor may differ from what you see with a naked eye depending on your monitor settings.
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